After interviewing principal dancer Sonia Rodriguez in the Karen Kain Dance Studio (see the chat replay below!), learning how The National Ballet prepares for performances, and making our debuts as cannon dolls, we left our new friends and sweet costumes behind to come back to the newsroom and tell you about what we saw.

Behind The Nutcracker with CBC Live Online

Last night on a special Christmas episode of CBC Live Online, we went behind the scenes of The Nutcracker with The National Ballet of Canada. We interviewed with the sugar plum fairy, made our stage debut as cannon dolls, and learned tons about ballet and the classic holiday show. Here are the highl

Dancers at work

Being a ballerina may look glamorous -- and in in many ways, it is -- but it's also very hard work that can be painful, exhausting, and at times even dangerous. Many professional dancers will experience some type of injury during the course of their career, Rodriguez told us.

Jackie, pictured above, explained to us that dancers need prepare their shoes before each performance, moulding the pointe for optimal usage. Here, she scrapes the shoes for traction. We observed another dancer pounding her shoe with a hammer.

National ballet dancers being several pairs of slippers to each performance. #cbcnutcracker http://twitpic.com/bnqruaAndrea Bellemare

Kate and Alex, pictured below, get last-minute costume adjustments before making their way onstage as snowflakes. Both dancers agreed that their ornate costumes were a blast to wear.

Costumes

CBC's Lauren O'Neil @laurenonizzle live tweets behind the scenes before her debut as a Cannon Doll in The #Nutcracker http://pic.twitter.com/oR9gyB2pnational.ballet.ca

Our wardrobe department is busy preparing for #TheNutcracker. Do you recognize this tutu? http://pic.twitter.com/whEf0jwHnational.ballet.ca

According to the National Ballet, there are 187 performances in every performance of their version of The Nutcracker. We witnessed a few quick costume changes while waiting in the wings, and got a chance to see even more backstage when we were finished.

I FOUND A HORSE! #cbcnutcracker http://pic.twitter.com/Kvu1p3QZLauren O'Neil

Our cannon doll costumes! But first we have to practice! #cbcnutcracker http://pic.twitter.com/uSnwK2CXAndrea Bellemare

We were told that because the ballet is set in the winter, many characters have to wear extremely warm, heavy costumes. Uncle Nikolai's Act I coat alone weight 9.5 lbs!

We felt lucky to be in such comfortable gear.

These are the slippers cannon dolls get to wear. #cbcnutcracker http://twitpic.com/bnqwloAndrea Bellemare

Photo by laurenonizzle * Instagramlaurenonizzle

Here we are in cannon doll costume! A choir is warming up in the background. #cbcnutcracker http://twitpic.com/bnqz23Andrea Bellemare

Canon doll 101 complete. @andreabellemare and I are ready for the stage... #cbcnutcrackerLauren O'Neil

Show time

Did you know that the horse in the #Nutcracker takes two dancers to maneuver and weighs more than 60 pounds? http://pic.twitter.com/A3UPCedznational.ballet.ca

Before hitting the backstage area, we were taken down into a rehearsal studio to learn our routine. Host Lauren O'Neil played the role of "brave" cannon doll, while producer Andrea Bellemare was "timid" cannon doll.

Show time. Catch you on the other side! #cbcnutcracker http://pic.twitter.com/7dgjsuXULauren O'Neil

We couldn't bring our phones into the wings with us for a number of reasons, one being that it's nearly impossible to jump around and dance (well) with an iPhone in hand!

It's just as well -- if we'd have been armed with cameras, we likely would have missed our cue. The area just offstage is a hive of activity, with set pieces, props and dancers moving every which way.

The #Nutcracker features a herd of adorable lambs http://bit.ly/PPolCg. http://pic.twitter.com/RFTKdZvQnational.ballet.ca

We were told to steer clear of a giant growing tree piece that serves as part of the first act's backdrop. "The branches" said several crew members. "You don't want to get hit by them."

This was one of many interesting facts we learned while preparing for our grand debut.

The horse costume fits two people & weighs 60 pounds. The dancers rest on chairs backstage between appearances it's so heavy #cbcnutcrackerAndrea Bellemare

We were most shocked to learn audience members were unable to hear any of the noise going on behind the curtain, but in the second act when we ourselves sat in the Four Seasons auditorium, not a peep could be heard as The Sugar Plum fairy glided her way across the sprung stage to Tchaikovsky's score.

Bizbash

When it was our time to follow the lead cannon doll into battle, we set our nerves aside to march onstage and jump around excitedly for approximately three minutes. It was awesome.